The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-05-29
MISCELLANY
THE SUEZ SHIP CANAL.
How the Traffic Along the Waterway Is
Observation-Disclosures Fees.

HOW inc Us
Observation-Disclosures Fees
The number of ships in the canal ut
the came time is something very Creat.
Dec. last, for example, fifteen steamers
cleared the canal, of which seven were
outward bound. Tho previous day nine
ships cleared, AND the day before seven,
50 that during the S,h some thirty ships
were probably at ore-,SJrnc il the canal.
Sometimes there are % many as forty,
and ali are under - coa;rol Of thc
French gentleman ti,ting at his desk in
an upper clIambCr :. icrrc, lcin. The
method Of working is excessively simple.
Against the wall AZ one side of the room
is a narrow shelf or platform, alonl:
which runs gI.ovc. At intervals this
trough or groove has deep rcccsscs, and
nj two places these rccesSc3 are Of larger
size. This trough or groove represents
the can.L The Tuce=Ssgs ere the siIings.
Tho larger intcrv;i..' ;irc thc Great Lit.Cr
lake and I.a.lc Iiniso..
When "A vessel about To enter the canal
at, say, the SIiez end. a small toy boat or
model tiiroc or four inches long il chosen
to represent hcr. \ groupof these model
ships s;t;lu..i ready beside the model canal,
each furnished with a flag. About forty
have the English flag. ten or "A dozen the
I'rCnch flag, and 50 on with other nation
alities. As the steamer comes up and
licr name is known Ii il written ON paper
and placed on the toy boat. The whole
number OF sli..i thus actually in the canal
at any moment can he seen ut n glance;
and, as the Geographic signals give no.
tice, the toy boats arc moved along, or
placed in a siding, or shown traversing
one of the lakes ut full speed. Signals
are sent from the o.ice to the various
.'iarcs'' prescribing the siding at which
each ship must stop to let another meet
and pass it. The official who is on duty
keeps the models moving as he receives
notice, taking care when perhaps two
ships, going in opposite directions, are
both nearing the same siding to give
timely warning to the pilots in charge by
means of the signal BALI and flags at
each station under his control from the
Office, and to direct which Of the two is
to lie up and which Ia proceed.
Barring accidents. ,iIc s.i.olc arrange
ment goes like clockworls; the clerk can
read OH in a moment the name. tonnage,
nationality, drauglIt and actual situation
of every steamer; he can tell what pilot
she has ON board, what is her breadth of
beam, what rate she is moving at, and
everything else which has to be known
about her; and he is able without an
effort to govern all her movements, TO
prescribe tho place where she is to pass
the night and the hour at which she is To
| get under way in the morning. although
he does not see her and probably never
saw her in his life. The fees which YES
sells pay for passing through the canal
| are often enormous. Some of the large
| liners of the Peninsrllar and Oriental, or
the Orient service pay as much as 81 200
in making single transit. For every
passenger half napoleon. or eight shil-
lings and fourpence, is charged. Three
fourths of the ships that go through tho
| canal arc English. Saturday Review.